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Calcium

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Comparing peaches with apples...

I gave a herbal site a quick look-over, and found this gem:

"Three and a half ounces of cow's milk contains 118 milligrams of calcium. The same amount of hizike (a mild-flavored seaweed) contains 1400 milligrams; kelp, 1093 milligrams; and wakame, 1300 milligrams."

Now tell me, how easy is it to drink a glass of cow's milk? That's double their 3.5 ounces (100 g) right there. And then tell me, how easy is it to eat 100 g dried seaweed?

... their comparison sucks.

What would actually work, then?

Here's a quick run-down of calcium-rich foods, in mg of calcium per 100 g edible part:

Fresh
hard cheeses 800-1300 mg
sardines in oil inna tin 354 mg (all those fishbones...)
parsley leaf 245 mg
raw kale 230 mg
nettle juice 190 mg
salmon inna tin 185 mg (fishbones again)
raw dandelion leaf 173 mg
boiled kale 160 mg
boiled spinach 126 mg (but the oxalic acid it also contains will use it up...)
raw leek leaf 120 mg
green olives 96 mg

Dried
fat-free milk powder 1259 mg
sesame seeds 783 mg
almonds 252 mg
hazelnut 225 mg
para nut 130 mg
sunflower seeds 100 mg

If I were to go milk-free I'd go with nettle leaf and sesame seeds. And almonds, mmmm, almonds!

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Related entry: Magnesium - Chromium

Comments

That's true; and where do cows get the calcium that comes out in their milk, they're vegetarians. and how safe is cow's milk today anyway?

http://www.notmilkman.com

Like you say, all these vegetables, herbs and seeds contain as much if not more, and other nutrients besides. Much healthier.

Nettle! Nettle! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Not only is this favored infusion calcium rich, but it blesses us with other minerals - and vitamins too. Toasted almonds, too, make it into much of my cooking for their nutritious *and* yummy contributions. Sesame seeds, huh? How have I missed this on my calcium list? And yet, I do use them, especially as we enter in our cold season, I add them to breads and cookies and occasionally toast them to toss on a salad or cooked vegetable.

Thanks Henriette for sharing your wisdom so generously!